diff --git a/yama/src/pile/compression.rs b/yama/src/pile/compression.rs
index aa293ae..b1afd9e 100644
--- a/yama/src/pile/compression.rs
+++ b/yama/src/pile/compression.rs
@@ -168,7 +168,6 @@ impl<R: RawPile> RawPileCompressor<R> {
         &self,
         next_stage: Sender<(ChunkId, Vec<u8>)>,
         input: Receiver<(ChunkId, Vec<u8>)>,
-        controller_send: &Sender<ControllerMessage>,
         worker_id: String,
     ) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         // the worker ID has to live forever, so we leak it :/
@@ -275,7 +274,6 @@ impl<R: RawPile> RawPile for RawPileCompressor<R> {
                 if let Err(err) = this.storage_pipeline_worker(
                     subsequent_pipeline,
                     receiver,
-                    &controller_send,
                     worker_id.to_string(),
                 ) {
                     controller_send
diff --git a/yama/src/pile/local_sqlitebloblogs.rs b/yama/src/pile/local_sqlitebloblogs.rs
index 53d96ef..c1a4961 100644
--- a/yama/src/pile/local_sqlitebloblogs.rs
+++ b/yama/src/pile/local_sqlitebloblogs.rs
@@ -373,7 +373,6 @@ impl SqliteBloblogPile {
     fn storage_pipeline_worker(
         &self,
         incoming: Receiver<(ChunkId, Vec<u8>)>,
-        controller_sender: &Sender<ControllerMessage>,
     ) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         // can hold on to the same bloblog as long as we'd like!
         const POINTERS_BUFFER_SIZE: usize = 256;
@@ -705,7 +704,7 @@ impl RawPile for SqliteBloblogPile {
 
         thread::spawn(move || {
             let worker_id = Arc::new(format!("bloblogwriter"));
-            if let Err(err) = this.storage_pipeline_worker(incoming, &controller_send) {
+            if let Err(err) = this.storage_pipeline_worker(incoming) {
                 controller_send
                     .send(ControllerMessage::Failure {
                         worker_id,